Pattaya Attractions: Scam or Extortion?

Pattaya attractions are becoming "greedy" (I use the word of my friend) to foreigners/tourists. I had this thought after my last visit recently to two tourists places done on the same day; the Pattaya Floating Market and the newly opened unfinished Pattaya Dolphin World & Resorts.

Pattaya Floating Market now charges 200 baht entrance fee to foreigners but free for Thais. A place called per se as "market" containing shops with few activities, all with a cost. A very lucrative business no doubt, earning from both sides: the sellers and the buyers. Same thing with the Pattaya Dolphin World & Resort, it charges unreasonably extra high for foreigners but not worth the price as the place has not been fully developed yet and have only the 45 minutes Dolphin show as their front line and attraction.

I had been to Pattaya Floating Market for many times, my first was on December 2009 when it was just a small one and expansion was going on. There were already many people most specially tourists that came by flock and by buses but there was no entrance fee yet, maybe because it was not long time since it opened. 

With my last visit on December 9, 2012 I was with my Norwegian lady friend and we went to Pattaya Dolphin World & Resort to make use of the two vouchers I had bought from a discount website at a cheaper price. As I had not identified exactly in the map where the resort is located, I had been advised by the personnel when I called for direction that I rent a vehicle to bring us to the resort. So we did. To my surprise the place was underdeveloped yet, unfinished and the dolphin show was done in a small pool with a small stage. The dolphin show itself was not even extraordinary, performance was composed of 3 men and 3 medium sized dolphin. I have this observation because I had watched a dolphin show before in another amusement center in Bangkok. 

After almost an hour stay in the resort, I tried to find some vehicles to take us back but there was none. There are no public transportation on standby waiting for passengers as there were only few visitors. It is understandable as it is not worth visiting the place considering that it is unfinished yet plus the place is secluded. I inquired at the ticket booth and they arranged for a van to take us to the Pattaya Floating Market. I later on realized again that we were charged expensively for a fee of 300 baht as the distance between the two places was less than 10 kilometers.  

As I approached the entrance of the Floating Market, there were some personnel on guard but I just walked past them without saying a word. Take note! as I have mentioned above there is an entrance fee of 200 baht. Why was I not checked for a ticket? As an Asian, I am 100% mistaken as a Thai. But I noticed the driver haven't left and he followed us up to the entrance and he watched me get inside while he waited for my Norwegian friend to finish smoking.  As my friend approached the gate, the driver said something to the personnel at the same time pointing at us. Then there we were told about the entrance fee. At first, we thought it is 100 baht per person and the price was already unacceptable to me. Misunderstanding statements are very normal in Thailand due to language barrier. When my friend gave the money, it was 200 baht per person. 

Isn't it some people want to earn much money unreasonably at the expense of others? Don't they realize it that though for others the money that means much to them might not cost much to others, what matters most is the value of what being paid for.

 

(Update) Last February 2, 2014, I was in Chonburi province again with my friend and sister. We went to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden (my 3rd time), Khao Cheechan and Silverlake Vineyard. As the places can't be reached by public transportation, we hired a songtaew (taxi). On the way to our destination, while trying to be friendly with the driver and to get information as well, I have learned that half of the 200 baht entrance fee collected at the Pattaya Floating market is given to the taxi driver as commission, that is 100 baht per tourist. Same as in other tourist places, drivers are given commission from the entrance fees paid by their tourist passengers. Isn't it a double earning also? The taxi driver earns from the rent of his car plus the commission. The more tourists, more commission. Shooting two birds at the same time.